Alarm clock



March 8, 1960 s T GOTHAM 2,927,419

ALARM CLOCK Filed Feb. 25, 1957 IN VEN TOR.

AT RNEY STANLEY T. GOTl-IAM United States Pate f 2,927,419 ALARM CLOCK Stanley T. Gotham, Somerset, Mass.

Application February 25, 1957, Serial No. 642,071

3 Claims. c1. sit-21.12

My present invention relates to alarm clock mechanisms, and more particularly to a device wherein a sec.- ond alarm sounds at the end of a predetermined period of time after the first alarm.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a repeating alarm mechanism'having a manual shut off device which can be used to shut the alarm after each ringing or to completely shut off the alarm and prevent repetition after the first ringing.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an alarm mechanism which will ring a second alarm at a predetermined interval of time after the first alarm has been sounded.

Another object of the present inventionis to provide a repeating alarm mechanism which must be manually silenced after each alarm and thus insure the awakening of the sleeper.

A further object of the present invention is to pro vide an alarm mechanism of the type described which is simple in construction and easy and economical to manufacture andassemble.

With the above and other objects and advantageous features in view, my invention consists of a novel ar rangement of parts, more fully disclosed in the detailed description following, in "conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and more particularly defined in the appended claims. t

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the alarm mechanism of the present invention in off position.

Fig. 2 is aside elevation of the manual control slide.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 with the alarm in on position.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 with the slide in on position.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Figs. 1 and 3 with the alarm in the intermediate off position.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Figs. 2 and 4 with the slide in intermediate off position.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged, perspective view of the clutch head mechanism.

Fig. 8 is a rear view of the clapper control.

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing another form of slide.

It is a universal failing to occasionally catnap after the alarm clock has sounded, awakened the sleeper and has been duly shutoff. Many times the person will fall asleep again. Alarm mechanisms have been devised for providing an intermittent alarm which will ring a second time after a predetermined interval. The present invention provides such a mechanism in an extremely simple construction with a novel shut off mechanism which permits the alarm to be shut off completely after the first ring and thus prevent the alarm from ringing a second time.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, the device of the present invention is mounted in a conventional alarm clock wherein only'portions of the case 10 and "ice clock face 11 are shown. The device is mounted in the frame 12 which normally houses the clock mechanism and which is held together by bars or stays 13. 'An operating shaft 14 extends through the clock case 10 and frame 12 to the front of the dial 11. The rear end of the shaft 14 is provided with a manual setting knob 15 and the front end is provided with a pointer 16 for indicating the time for which the alarm is set. A ratchet wheel 17 is mounted on the shaft 14 just behind the case 12, and a wide pawl 17a is mounted on the case 12 and engagesthe ratchet wheel 17 to permit turning movementof the shaft in one direction only.

Referring to Fig. 8, the clock mechanism is normally provided with a conventional alarm mechanism which comprises a bell 18'and a clapper 19 Whichis pivotally mounted at 20 adjacent the end furthest from the bell. The clapper 19 may be vibrated in any desired manner,

one method providing for a single integral tooth 21 at the end of the clapper riding over the teeth 22 of a spring driven gear. To prevent the alarm from ringing it is merely necessary to interpose a stop element which will prevent the tooth 21 from moving sufficiently to ride over the teeth 22 of the driving gear. I therefore pro.- vide an arm 23 which may be slightly bent as shown in Fig. 8 and which is loosely mounted on the shaft 14. One end of the arm 23 is tapered broadly to form a narrow flat edge 24 in the path (of movement of the clapper 19. The other end of the arm 23 extends under a lower bar or stay 13 of the frame 12 and is provided with a notch 25 which engages the manual control slide 26. 7

Now referring to Fig. 1 it will be noted that the arm 23 is bowed towards the front of the clock. Between the back of the frame 12 andthe arm 23 the shaft 14 is surrounded by a spring 27 which bears against a washer 28 having a rounded nose pushing against the back of the arm 23. In front of the arm 23 a hub 29 is also mounted on the shaft 14' and its rear end is also rounded as it bears against the front of the arm 23. The front end of the hub 29 is provided with a clutch head 30 having an elongated notch 31 at its front edge. The notch 31 having an abrupt shoulder 32 at one end and tapering gradually forwardly at the other end. The hub 29 and head 30 are driven in a clockwise direction by the clock mechanism through the gear 33.

Fixed to the shaft 14, directly in front of the clutch head 30 are a pair of dogs 34 and 35 in offset position so that the rectangular pin 36 on the inner dog 34 overlaps the rectangular pin 37 on the outer dog 35 as shown in Fig. 7.

It can thus be seen in Fig. 1 that the spring 27 will tend to push the arm 23 against the back of the hub 29 until the clutch head 30 engages the pin 36 on the dog 34. In the position shown in Fig. l the tapered end 24 of the arm 23 is contacting the clapper 19 and preventing the ringing of the alarm. The arm 23 is retained in this position by the slide 26 as shown in Fig. 2. The slide 26 extends rearwardly through an enlarged slot 37 in the back of the clock case. A leaf spring 38 is fixed to the inner surface of the clock case 10 and contacts the lower edge of the slide 26 to yieldingly retain it in position against the upper edge of the slot 37. The slide 26 is provided at its upper edge, adjacent the upper edge of the slot 37 with a double notch which produces an inner deep cut out portion 39 and an outer shallow cut out portion 40. The back end of the slide 26 extends outwardly from the clock case 10 and is bent over to form a manuallyengageable portion 41.

To initially set the alarm, the knob 15 is turned counterclockwise until the pointer 16 is at the desired time. The slide 26 is then pulled out into the position shown in Fig. 4 so that the front edge of the cut out 39 is 2,927,419 Patented Mar. 8, 1960 3 against the inside surface 7 38 forcing the slide upwardly so that the wall of the case 10 extends into the bottom of the cut out 39. This will cause the arm 23 to pivot slightly, the lower end as seen in Fig. 3 moving to the right and the upper end to the left. However, this movement is just insufficient to clear it from the clapper 19. Now as the clock mechanism rotates the gear 33 turns the clutch head 30 clockwise until the shoulder 32 in the notch 31 clears the pin 36 in the dog 34. The spring 27 will then slide the assembly forwardly until the shoulder 32 hits the pin 37 on the dog 35. Since the arm 23 on the shaft 14 is loosely mounted it slides to the left in Fig. 3 moving the pivot point sufficiently so that the end 2:4 clears the clapper 19. Thus with the clutch head and slide in the positions shown in Figs. 3 and 4 the alarm will sound to waken the sleeper. n I

Now referring to Figs. 5 and 6, the slide-26 is merely pushed inwardly manually the width of the notch 39. This will move the attached end of the arm 23 to the left in Fig. 5 and compensate for the movement from the pin .36 to the pin 37 shown in Fig. 3. The end 24 will now again engage the clapper 19 and shut oif the initial alarm ring. 7

In a predetermined time, fixed by the width of the pin 37, the shoulder 32 in the clutch head 30 will reach the edge of the pin 37 and both pins will now drop into the notch 31 under the action of the spring 27. This will again swing the arm 23 into an angular position similar to that shown in Fig. 3 compensating for the closing movementshown in Figs. 5 and 6. The alarm will thus sound off for the second time. The outer end 41 of the slide 26 is now pushed downwardly in the slot 37 against the action of the spring 38 and moved inwardly into the position shown in Fig. 2. This again moves the lower lever arm to the left and the upper end to the right and shuts off the alarm completely. Asthe clock mechanism continues to drive the clutch head 30 the pins 36 and 37 gradually ride up the tapered portion of the notch 31 and push the assembly back against the action of the spring 27 into the completely shut ofi? position shown in Fig. 1.

The control of the two alarms is readily accomplished by the proper use of the slide 26. If the person wakes and does not immediately get out of'bed he merely pushes at the slide until it reaches the position shown in Fig. 6, shuts off the alarm, and waits for the second ring. However, if the sleeper is completely awakened and does not wish the alarm to ring a second time, then it is merely necessary to slightly depress the slide 26 at the front ring and move it completely inwardly into the position shown in Fig. 2. This will bring the arm 23 firmly against the clapper 19 and subsequent movement of the clutch head on the second pin 37 will be insufiicient to start the alarm the second time. This simple mechanism thus provides for a second alarm for the catnapping sleeper but permits a complete shut off after the first alarm if desired. The device is simple in construction and can readily be applied to any type of clock mechanism.

If desired, the slide may be constructed as shown in Fig. 9. In this form the slide 42 extends through a slot in the case it) and is provided with three notches 43 at the bottom edge. The spring 44 is provided with a bent end 45 which extends into the notches. When the slide is moved inwardly the spring will snap into the successive notches. The three notches enable the slide to be moved into the three positions shown in Figs. 2, 4 and 6. This form permits a straight line movement of the slide with a snap action.

In either form the slide control is a simple manual 7 control which permits a complete shut off or -successive of the case '10, the leaf spring 1 shut offs of each separate ring. Other advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to a person skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. In an alarm clock having an alarm mechanism, a shaft, an arm loosely pivotally mounted on said shaft intermediate its ends, one end of said arm engaging said alarm mechanism to arrest the alarm in one position and disengaging said alarm mechanism to allow ringing of the alarm in another position, time controlled means for shifting the position of said arm along said shaft to change the position of the alarm engaging end of said arm, and manually controlled means for changing the position of the other end of said arm to change the position of the alarm engaging end of said arm, said manually controlled means comprising a shut-off device mounted for longitudinal reciprocation in successive stages, and means whereby the first stage arrests the first alarm and the second stage arrests the second alarm, said device being reciprocable to the second stage after the first alarm to prevent the ringing of the second alarm.

2. In an alarm clock having an alarm mechanism, a shaft, an arm loosely pivotally mounted on said shaft intermediate its ends, one end of said arm engaging said alarm mechanism to arrest the alarm in one position and disengaging said alarm mechanism to allow ringing of the alarm in another position, time controlled means for shifting the position of said arm along said shaft to change the position of the alarm engaging end of said arm, and manually controlled means for changing the position of the other end of said arm to change the position of the alarm engaging end of said arm, said manually controlled means comprising a manually operable slide mounted for longitudinal movement to two successive stop positions, and means engaging said slide whereby the first stop position arrests the first alarm and the second stop position arrests the second alarm, said slide being movable to the second stop position after the first alarm to prevent the ringing of the second alarm.

3. In an alarm clock having an alarm mechanism, a shaft, an arm loosely pivotally mounted on said shaft intermediate its ends, one end of said arm engaging said y alarm mechanism to arrest the alarm in one position and disengaging said alarm mechanism to allow ringing of the alarm in another position, time controlled means for shifting the position of said arm along said shaft to change the position of the alarm engaging end of said arm, and manually controlled means for changing the position of the other end of said .arm to change the position of the alarm engaging end of said arm,- said manually controlled means comprising a manually operable slide mounted for longitudinal movement to two successive stop positions, and means engaging said slide whereby the first stop position arrests the first alarm and the second stop position arrests the second alarm, said slide being movable to the second stop position after the first alarm to prevent the ringing of the second alarm, said slide having a notch at its upper edge, said notch having two levels with abrupt shoulders for engaging the edge of the clock case, and a spring for retaining said slide in contact with said clock case.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 7 359,983 Runge Mar. 22, 1887 2,044,543 Putnam -2 June 16, 1936 2,607,186 Schu1ze -l Aug. 19, 1952 2,652,682 Wolbarst Sept. 22, 1953 

